RICHARD ZEDNIK AN ISLANDER!

For a reasonable price, the Islanders have added experience and scoring ability.

At approximately 4:00 pm today, Islanders general manager Garth Snow completed a deal with the Washington Capitals, acquiring wing Richard Zednik for a second round selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

"Richard is a proven offensive talent," said Snow. "When you can add a player with his skill and competitiveness for a playoff push at a fair cost, you do it. We believe Richard will fit in well with our team."

This season with the Capitals, the 31-year old Zednik is 6-12-18 in 32 games. His best season was in 2002-03, when he had 31 goals and 19 assists for 50 points in 80 games. The 6-1, 200-pound native of Slovakia could join the Islanders in time for the team's next game, Tuesday night at the Coliseum against Philadelphia.

Zednik is in his eleventh season in the NHL and has recorded 167 goals and 150 assists for 317 points in 611 games. He has split his career between Washington and Montreal, spending the first five of his career with Capitals before being traded to Montreal at the 2001 trade deadline and spent the next five with the Canadiens. This past off-season, Washington re-acquired him in a trade.

In 43 playoff games, Zednik has 16 goals and 10 assists.

He was drafted by Washington in the tenth round (249th overall) of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft and went onto play junior hockey for Portland of the WHL for two seasons and was named to the West Second All-Star Team in 1995-96.

While Islanders head coach Ted Nolan would not commit, there's a chance Zednik could see action on a line with Viktor Kozlov and Miroslav Satan.